Chapter 507: 508. Cannonball

Dryads kept appearing in small groups, surrounding Dallion. All of them were armed with simple weapons. Based on previous experience, Dallion was aware if there were a battle here, it would heavily involve echoes or instances. Thanks to the skills he had acquired in the last year, neither was going to be of particular concern, but even so, he preferred not to have to fight at all.

“How do you know about the crown?” an echo asked.

“This isn’t the first sword I’ve been to.”

“And you’re willing to do anything to see it?”

“Within reason.”

“And if it isn’t, you’ll just get to do so through combat?”

Dallion didn’t say a thing. Both sides were aware that was a possibility they wished to avoid. Even so, Dallion could see reluctance bubble up within the echoes, growing steadily like balloons. The only thing that gave him hope were the dots of hope that had also emerged.

“Any way we can reach an agreement?”

“Not using music?” Several of the dryad echoes tilted their heads. “You say you just want to see the crown?”

Dallion nodded.

“Then create a path to the next temple.”

“That doesn’t sound difficult,” Dallion said. “Just a path? You don’t want me to destroy all the crackling settlements between here and there?”

“A path is enough. Once you’ve done that, get back here.”

Normally, one would be overjoyed by such a simple task. Dallion, however, remained hesitant. In his experience, when something was too good to be true, it usually wasn’t. Either the task was far more difficult than he assumed, or there was a catch.

“Something wrong?” an echo asked.

“It sounds too simple. Also, it won’t be a permanent solution. The cracklings will rebuild over the “path.”

“Maybe, but a few decades of conversation will be enough. That’s the thing about cracklings. They’re dangerous, annoying, and they prevent us from talking to one another.”

“That’s new.” Nil, anything you forgot to tell me?

It’s not something I’ve heard before, dear boy, Nil replied.

“That’s the price we have to pay. There was a time when we desperately fought to keep them from establishing a large presence. We feared that they might destroy the item altogether. Not that it would have mattered. Everything that was—dryad, creature, or building—had long been destroyed. We were just fighting a hollow shell. That’s part of the cost of being a guardian.”

Chills ran down Dallion’s spine. He knew that guardians were supposed to protect the item they were in. However, he hadn’t considered that they had to keep doing it constantly, against all odds, even after the situation had become hopeless.

“Seems the realm was made in such a way that it cannot be destroyed. Ironic, when you come to think of it. The dryads who created it, must have been afraid that someone might Break the item, killing everyone inside. As it turned out, the realm outlived them all. Now the only thing we have to look forward to is awakened like you clearing enough cracklings so we can have a few more conversations again.”

“I see.” That was beyond dark and depressive. For some reason, it also made Dallion think of the real world. If the poison plague managed to kill all, would that make the Moons the only beings left? “Just a path?” he turned around. There was nothing but forest in that direction, but he tried to look beyond it, imaging the crackling cities he’d have to destroy.

“Just a path. There’s no deadline or any other requirements. I just want this small indulgence. Do it and you’ll have what you came for.”

“In that case, I better get started.” Dallion looked over his shoulder, but by the time he did that all the echoes had vanished.

Not the worst request, Nil said. Just a piece of advice: don’t use all your strength. They’re still watching you, and we can’t be sure that they won’t challenge you at a later point.

“I know. Lux, lift me up.”

The trees became a forest that shrunk beneath Dallion’s feet. From this height, he could see a large part of the landscape. Initially, there was nothing but whiteness all around, continuing until the horizon. Only after a while did he see a thin layer of blackness, like a distant thread. That, however, was an illusion. From what he had seen in the guild room, Dallion knew that the hilt was largely intact. The blade, though, was an entirely different matter.

The guild won’t be pleased, Nil sighed.

“The vice has calculated the cost,” Dallion said. “Why else charge me for the experience?”

Dear boy, he might have done that just because he doesn’t like you.

“Do you know something I don’t?”

A lot of things, no doubt. However, as far as the guild is concerned. The vice guild master wasn’t particularly pleased with what you did last time. In fact, he was one of the two people who were against getting you involved in this expedition.

“They still called me.”

You have your gorgon girlfriend to thank for that. There was the overwhelming opinion that she would be more reluctant to go unless you joined in. In the end, it was considered that having the two of you was better than none at all.

That was an interesting twist. At some point Dallion was going to inquire more. Though not in Nerosal.

“Who was the other person?” he asked.

It’s better than you don’t know.

“Nil…”

Trust me on this. I can easily tell you, but it’ll make you get in one of your moods and—

“Was it Eury?” Dallion asked.

No.

“Was it March?”

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No, it wasn’t March either.

“In that case, it doesn’t really matter.” Dallion summoned his harpsisword. “Lux, get me to the nearest crackling city.”

With a chirp, the firebird propelled Dallion forward. A few seconds later, Dallion found himself right on the border between the guardian’s frozen domain and the clutter of blight. The cities were slightly smaller here, though more numerous, each belonging to cracklings. The rustlings, it seemed, hadn’t managed to gain a foothold here, although that didn’t make things particularly easier.

Even with his current level of perception, Dallion could barely see the domain of the next temple. Massive plumes of smoke rose to the sky, creating a wall of smog that blocked the view, like a series of black curtains.

Think I’ll be able to destroy them with a line attack? Dallion asked.

No, Harp replied.

You’re probably right. I still want to see how much I’ve improved.

Instructing Lux to get him to the ground, Dallion did a line attack, combining it with his spark. A thin glowing line appeared in the air, cutting through walls, towers, and buildings as it erased everything in its path. The amount of destruction was rather impressive… until one realized that of the dozen cities it had affected, only two had been destroyed. The rest, while significantly reduced, still had their crackling flames intact. Unwilling to leave things half done, Dallion repeated his attack. Eight more cities were destroyed, opening a wide field between him and the next layer of crackling settlements.

The sound of horns and bells filled the air, followed immediately by heavy clanking from all directions.

“That’s new.”

In the first sword he had been, the cracklings had taken the form of knights charging at him. Back then, Dallion had avoided a head on battle, choosing to sneak his way to the black flame instead. Now, there was no point in being timid.

Goblin titans emerged from several cities, growing as more and more merged together. There was no question that they were considerably more advanced-looking than Dallion remembered. In a way, it was almost as if they had let Onda forge their armor. More alarmingly, the weapons they were equipped with weren’t common swords or axes, but massive crossbows.

Dallion didn’t flinch. With no effort, he did two more line attacks, aiming specifically for the creatures. Caught off guard a couple of them were sliced in two. The rest quickly assumed a defensive position, blocking the attack with their shields. Several shields cracked, but the massive amount of metal proved enough to save them from the attack.

What did you expect? Nil asked.

Instead of an answer, Dallion split into a few dozen instances as the barrage of massive bolts flew in his direction. The ground shook as they struck it, throwing up whole clouds of fist and dirt.

“Up, Lux!” Dallion shouted, choosing one of the safe instances.

The firebird shot him up as dozens of the other instances received fatal or terminal wounds.

If it were that easy, March would have killed them off by now, Nil grumbled. Did you finish checking your level?

Yep, Dallion replied. He was skilled enough to see his limitations. Now all that remained was to do what the guardian had asked for. The line attacks—useless in the general scope of things—had managed to briefly clear the air enough for Dallion to get an inkling of the ninth’s temple location. For a moment, Dallion considered whether a point attack couldn’t do the trick.

Before he could attempt it, several of the giant goblins charged in his direction. From what Dallion had seen, each of them was composed of thousands of cracklings, suggesting that it would take hundreds of hits to take down. The task wasn’t overly difficult, but would be excruciatingly long. Even point attacks weren’t going to make it possible for Dallion to take all of them out. However, there was another possibility.

“Shield, cocoon me!” Dallion ordered. Once again, the shield extended, creating a protective sphere around him. “Lux, thrust me through the nearest one.” Dallion pulled out his hand from the shield’s straps. “Then go back up.”

Okay! The firebird responded without even thinking about it.

The tactic was a bit of a gamble. Dallion had a distant memory that bullets were capable of piercing medieval armor. It had been a while ago, so there was no way he could be sure, but this was a good chance to check.

A series of forces pushed him in various directions as the sphere accelerated, then slowed down on impact. Using a dozen instances, Dallion managed to avoid any serious injuries.

HUMAN CANNONBALL

(+2 Reaction)

It wasn’t inconceivable that you’d do something as reckless in battle. Try not to do it again too much.

Good advice. Dallion smiled to himself. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of keeping it. While the method wasn’t the most comfortable, it was better than most of the alternatives.

“Shield, you okay?” Dallion asked.

Just a few scratches here and there. I’ll let you know if things get too much for me.

“Lux, is everything okay on your end?”

Yep! Yep! the firebird chirped.

“Good. Continue what you were doing, only try to avoid the armor.”

Got you! Lux said with childish glee, as he proceeded to puncture the throat of the next goblin titan.

For ten minutes, the sphere flew through the battlefield, like a self-guiding bullet that struck enemies in their weakest points. When it didn’t kill the cracklings, it enfeebled them to the point that they had to break down to their initial size. The combination of speed, hardness, and a flame that only did harm to Star-spawn proved to be more than the goblin soldiers could handle. Different attempts were made: some focused on defense, others merged even more, creating an even greater monster. However, even that proved futile. At one point, Lux suddenly stopped moving, keeping the sphere perfectly still.

“Lux?” Dallion asked.

There’s no one else to fight, the firebird said in a combination of pride and disappointment. They all vanished and hid in the cities.

“And there’s nothing in the sky?”

Nope.

That made sense. With the cracklings having achieved total dominance in this realm, there was little point in having swarms fly about; everything concentrated in the cities, which was where the remaining cracklings had fortified themselves.

Do you want me to smash through a city?

“No!” Dallion quickly said. That was the one thing that he had to avoid. At present, his greatest advantage was speed and freedom of movement. If he got stuck in an attempt to puncture a city, things would become quite complicated to the point he’d most likely lose. “It’s time for a bit of negotiation.”

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